How to Clean the Xbox 360 Console - Outside

The proper way how to clean the Xbox 360's outside case. Proper maintenance is a key factor in increasing your Xbox 360's life. This guide will explain the correct ways to clean the Xbox 360 Console. There are some methods of cleaning that could actually harm your Xbox 360. Check this guide out to ensure you are educated on the proper method of cleaning your system.

WARNING: Please read the Terms of Service with focus on sections 8 and 9 before you start with the steps below. Also be warned that when you start to open, modify, repair, or alter any device as outlined below the warranty to that device will be voided. It is NOT recommended to start the outlined steps below unless the warranty of the device has completely ran out. USE THIS GUIDE AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Introduction

Looking to clean your Xbox 360? Well you have come to the right place. Learn how to clean your system's outside case. I will show you what you should be doing and what you should not be doing. The proper way of how to clean the system is just as important as cleaning it.

Most of the methods used here are simple and straight forward. When it comes to cleaning my rule of thumb is the most simple and cheapest way to clean the system is the best way. A clean system is a clean system. If the system gets clean with a paper towel and some water then there is no reason to use expensive electronic wipes.

Cleaning the Outside - Dusty/Light Dirt

Well this part is not rocket science people, this is easy and straight forward but I still want to cover it. Below is an Xbox 360 that has a nice layer of dust over it.

To clean dust and light dirt you only need to clean the console's exterior with a paper towel or cloth that is LIGHTLY dampened. By lightly dampened I mean that it should not leave behind any water when you clean off the console. There is no reason to use so much water that you leave water drops on the console, the last thing you want to do is let water run down your console or get into those small holes.

If you are using a paper towel ensure you don't use too much pressure because if you do you may leave behind pieces of paper towel as it rips apart. I had no issues with this and that is why I recommend using paper towels.

To clean out the engraved "XBOX 360" characters or any other hard spot use a Q-Tip.

If you have a stubborn spot, like this console did, that will not be removed by the simple method of water and a towel then you may have to up your game. This spot must have had some glue/sticky stuff on it that dust/dirt stuck to. To remove this spot I used a plastic scrubber, my wife uses them on the pots and pans. They are perfect for cleaning hard console dirt. They are very soft so there is no way it will scratch your console. If the item you are planning to use is metal or hard plastic I recommend finding something else. You can buy these soft plastic scrubbers at any grocery store. Use very little water and the spot should be removed. You can also use a old toothbrush which works great!

The above steps should have taken care of your dusty or light dirt covered console. If the steps above did not help you clean your console please continue to the next section to learn about harder to clean consoles. I want to thank the individual person who donated the console it has made this portion of the guide possible!

Cleaning the Outside - Heavy Dirt

Have a horribe and unspeakable dirty Xbox 360 Console at the house? Well below is as bad as it gets. I don't even want to know what has happened to this console and all I know is it needs to be cleaned! Pics or it did not happen:

Is that a footprint? After the initial shock of looking at this console wore off I decided to try to clean it using the same methods outline above for the cleaning on a Dusty/Light Dirt console. Even after using the plastic scrub this was my result:

While it did clean up a good portion of this dirt, you can still see many spots and marks. If you want to remove these you are going to have to head to your kitchen pantry. Baking Soda has been known to clean in a non-damaging way since it's conception as a cleaning agent in the late 1700's so it should be no big surprise to you but it is often an overlooked item.

Take some baking soda, place it into a small bowl/container and then add some tap water. You are going to want to make a paste from this baking soda so you do not want to add too much water.

Now that you have some cleaning paste all you need to do is grab a toothbrush. I used a old battery tooth brush, yes I am THAT lazy...

Place the cleaning paste on the areas of the console that are dirty, DO NOT place the paste near any air vents, you do not want this stuff inside the console! Use the toothbrush with paste to clean the spots. After the cleaning is done use a damp cloth/paper towel to clean of the paste's residue. It should look like this:

Nice and clean! The small marks you see are just permanent scratches in the plastic but they are clean! I want to take the time to thank the owner of these Xboxes (yes he gave me two that looked pretty much the same condition!) who donated them for this guide!